On April 25, 2025, Attorney General Letitia James, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Attorney General Keith Ellison co-led a coalition of attorneys general in filing a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts against the Trump administration over its unprecedented requirement for states to end diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in schools, putting billions in education funding at risk. On April 3, the Department of Education alerted state education agencies that, to continue receiving essential funding, they must sign a new certification affirming they will not engage in undefined “illegal” diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Several states refused to sign the certification, but reiterated a commitment to following state and federal law, and explained  that there is no lawful or practical way to certify compliance given ED’s vague and unsupported interpretation of Title VI. The coalition asserted that the new directive is illegal and unconstitutional and sought a court order declaring the April 3 certification demand unlawful, stopping it from being implemented.

On February 6, 2026, the coalition secured an agreement with the Trump administration preventing it from withholding nearly $1.4 billion in federal funding from state and local education agencies under the new and unlawful anti-DEI certification requirement.   

Minnesotans believe that every child has the right to learn in an environment that is safe, supportive, and inclusive. Our educators work hard every day to realize that vision in classrooms across our state, with significant support from the federal government. These federal investments help fund programs that support students from poor families, assistance for students with special needs, early learning programs, transportation services, and so much more. Donald Trump clearly takes issue with the work our teachers do to support all students, so he’s threatening to cut over half a billion dollars from our schools unless we abandon that work. I’m filing today’s lawsuit to ensure that does not happen.Attorney General Keith Ellison

The Trump administration is attempting to deny federal funding for our children’s education if we do not comply with a legally incomprehensible order to destroy the programs that protect those children from discrimination. Complying with these mandates would open Nevada up to litigation and would remove programs intended to protect our children. Neither of these outcomes are acceptable, and, as such, I will see the president in court.Attorney General Aaron Ford

The U.S. Department of Education is unapologetically abandoning its mission to ensure equal access to education with its latest threat to wholesale terminate congressionally mandated federal education funding. Let me be clear: the federal Department of Education is not trying to ‘combat’ discrimination with this latest order. Instead it is using our nation’s foundational civil rights law as a pretext to coerce states into abandoning efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through lawful programs and policies. Once again, the President has exceeded his authority under the Constitution and violated the law. Attorney General Rob Bonta